“We have long felt that Aste is a good place to work for our staff. The staff surveys have always come back with good results and the general feeling has been positive from the start. The GPTW certificate makes our satisfaction visible to others,” says Eva Liukkonen, Business Manager for Marketing Services at Aste Helsinki, explaining the reasons for applying for the Great Place To Work survey.

Best Workplaces in Finland 2024 is a list of the best employers in the country published by Great Place To Work Finland. The first step to get on the list is to achieve over 70% employee satisfaction and the Great Place to Work certificate.

Satisfaction is measured through the Trust Index™ employee survey and by assessing the company’s culture and employee experience using the For All™ model. The idea behind the For All™ model created by Great Place To Work is that a good workplace is good for all employees – regardless of background, personality or status.

One of the best in Finland for the second time in a row

The list of the best employers in Finland was published for the 22nd time. Aste has been included in the list of medium-sized companies since its first certification. In 2023, Aste was ranked 9th and now, one year later, 11th.

This year, the top three in the medium-sized companies category were MBT-Siivouspalvelu Oy, Small Giant Games Oy and Tiketti Oy. The top spot in the large company category was taken by the optical chain Specsavers. In total, 50 of Finland’s best employers made the list.

The staff survey was conducted by Aste in February 2024, with a response rate of over 80 per cent and a ranking confidence index of 87 per cent.

The trust index is the main measure of company culture in the survey, obtained by comparing the number of positive responses to all the responses in the HR survey. For comparison, the average confidence index for all Finnish companies is 39%.

Learn more: Check out Aste’s Great Place To Work company profile

Culture is something you have to do – how is this reflected in the day-to-day life of Aste?

So Aste has proven to be a great place to work. But why? How does the certified corporate culture translate into everyday life?

“When I started at Aste, I immediately noticed a genuine culture of caring. For example, I was asked every day how I was doing. Even today, every day it’s nice to come to work, see my colleagues and hear how they are doing,” says Mari Kesänen, Business Manager of Media Services at Aste Helsinki.

Good team spirit, confidence in your own work and transparency are also a supportive basis for efficiency, a “good work ethic”.

“We’re always thinking about how to do things as simply and smartly as possible. It makes the work more meaningful and creates a positive attitude. The employees at Aste always genuinely want to do their best,” Eva continues.

Both business managers also highlight Aste’s unique product manager model. It not only allows employees to feel that their work is meaningful, but also allows them to directly influence it.

“The Product Manager model is not tied to any particular role or title, but brings all employees together around common goals,” Eva explains.

Learn more: Aste’s unique product manager model – 5 benefits
Learn more: Six facts about Aste employees

Happy product managers

The product managers themselves are of the same opinion. In a good working community, you can concentrate on your work in peace.

“I think it says a lot that right now the biggest concern of the staff seems to be where and when to hold the Aste summer party,” says one of the product managers.

The feedback from the staff survey emphasises trust and appreciation: people are pretty much free to do their own work wherever and whenever they want, because management trusts its employees.

“One lovely hot day, I ran away to swim at the Stadika in the middle of the workday. My work situation made it possible, and my manager encouraged me to enjoy the summer,” recalls a product manager.

Freedom engages and makes you do your best. The desire to be trusted is also reflected in the open-ended responses to the GPTW survey:

“Flexible working hours and the confidence that work will get done on time is very motivating and suits me perfectly.”

People with the same goal, not competitors

In addition to freedom, Aste employees seem to have a special appreciation for each other and for the fact that everyone can be themselves in the workplace. As stated in one open response, colleagues are seen as pursuing the same goal, not as competitors.

“People are very active and full of ideas. Their attitude, skills and helpfulness make Aste a very good place to work.”

The main objective is satisfaction and well-being at work

Aste’s employees’ satisfaction is already so good that there is little room for improvement for next year’s GPTW survey. Instead of looking for areas for improvement, Aste is now focusing on maintaining the results and how best practice is shared between teams.

Eva and Mari also have a shared vision for the future:

“The world and working life are constantly changing. We want to be part of the change, like Aste, with curiosity, an active service attitude and new ways of working. We want to take change one step at a time, and here too we rely on our own efforts. Our overriding goal is to maintain satisfaction and promote well-being at work.”